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Value is a word that is frequently used by consumers, retailers and manufacturers. Understanding how consumers define value is imperative to the success of the industry. Value has often been defined as price or quality; other factors such as time, energy, product category and type of retail outlet may determine the definition of value by consumers. The purpose of this research was to define value, specifically how department store consumers define apparel value. Value ivas examined with two apparel products, a man's dress shirt and a woman's jacket. Research was conducted using focus groups (qualitative) and in‐store data collection (quantitative). The two hypotheses were tested by using t‐tests and forward step‐wise regression. Results from the 533 department store consumers indicated that: (a) value can be defined using qualitative and quantitative methods, (b) the definition of value was different for the two product categories, men's dress shirt and women's jacket, (c) the value definition for the majority of this study's consumers was ‘I look for the highest quality with an acceptable price’, and (d) product features and marketing attributes are weighted differently, yielding three consumer value equations for the sample's department store consumers. Implications exist for fibre producers, textile mills, apparel manufacturers and retailers in the product development and marketing of ‘value’ apparel products to meet diverse core consumer groups.

This article draws from a qualitative case study with four Black reentry women. Exploring their educational narratives through the framework of Black Feminist Thought, this study reveals that the women enacted their college reentry in three compelling ways: (1) reentry as a response to critical moments, (2) reentry as a strategy for coping with challenges, and (3) reentry as a practical step toward getting their daughters in to college. Cursory reviews of Black women in higher education and representations of Black motherhood contexualize the struggles these and other Black women have faced in getting an education, raising their families, and maintaining a positive image in society.

This chapter analyses the current situation and perceptions of quality assurance (QA) in adult education (AE) in Latvia. In the Latvian context, QA in AE is a challenge. According to recent studies, QA should have a formative character in order to facilitate targeted benefits for adult learners, whereas in practice AE in Latvia is more focussed on the institutional perspective rather than the individual’s needs and wishes. This is in contrast with the humanistic approach to adult learning and andragogy principles, which emphasise learner-centred education. The aim of the chapter is to research opportunities for improving the QA process in AE in Latvia in order to increase personal benefits for an individual. The systematic review of scholarly papers, monographs, scientific reports on QA in AE conducted in Latvia in the twenty-first century indicated a contradiction between the theoretical concepts applied to AE in Latvia and the implementation of the QA process in practice. This chapter contributes to the overall understanding of the terminology used in AE in the country, analyses the prevailing concepts and elaborates conclusions for QA improvements based on humanistic pedagogy principles.

As wireless penetration continues to increase worldwide, competitors in the mobile telecommunication industry are changing their strategies from a growth model to a value‐added one. The companies that can attract and retain customers in this highly competitive and increasingly saturated market stand poised to make considerable gains, and thus customer retention is an important field of study in this maturing market. Using the Canadian mobile phone market as an example, this work aims to study the major motivators of customer retention and their interrelationships, and assess the value that customers perceive with regard to the related advertising.

Based on a literature review and expert validation, the motivators of customer retention are divided into three dimensions and eight criteria. A systematic hybrid multiple criteria decision‐making (MCDM) method that combines the decision making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) technique and the analytic network process (ANP) is used to examine the customer retention framework and to evaluate the promotional strategies used by various market players.

The interdependence relation shows that phone service quality, customer service quality, and phone plan quality are three major motivators in terms of causality with regard to brand image, customer service quality, and complaint management, while phone service quality has become a hygiene factor with regard to customer satisfaction and retention. The findings from an assessment of the promotional strategies used by the major players in the Canadian mobile telecoms industry suggest that well‐financed foreign entrants pose a risk to the major domestic carriers, and that successful promotional strategies will require strong leverage of their existing price and quality advantages.

This work adopted a hybrid MCDM approach to examine a major strategic issue in mobile telecoms, – i.e. customer retention – and demonstrated the strengths of using this method to investigate rapidly changing markets. The relative importance of the motivators of satisfaction and retention is investigated, and a strategy for customer retention in the mobile telecoms industry is provided to managers.

Cross-country studies have shown that higher costs to starting a business tend to reduce entrepreneurship (Chambers and Munemo, 2019) and that an unfavorable environment for business can increase poverty and income inequality (Chambers et al., 2019a; Djankov et al., 2018). Building on the current literature, the authors test whether barriers to starting a business at the state and city level in the USA are associated with changes in entrepreneurship and income inequality.

Measures of entrepreneurship (establishment entry rate and exit rate) are regressed on measures of barriers to entry in a cross-section of 50 states as well as a cross-section of 73 cities in the USA. Further, the authors regress measures of income inequality on measures of barriers to entry using the same two cross-sections. State level data on barriers to entry are from Teague (2016), published in the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. City level data on barriers to starting a business are from the Doing Business in North America (DBNA) dataset.

Results show that there is a negative and significant association between barriers to starting a business and the rate of firm exit. A standard deviation increase in barriers to entry is associated with a five percent decrease in the firm exit rate at the state level. The authors find only limited evidence that barriers to entry are associated with income inequality.

Despite a large volume of scholarship on how regulation and barriers to entry influence entrepreneurship, no study (to the authors’ knowledge) has investigated how general entry regulation affects the entry or exit rate of establishments at the state or municipal level in the USA.

The next generation of shoppers is hitting the stores, and forward‐thinking retailers are following their every move. For retailers who target the teen market, developing strategies aimed at reaching this market are complex. This study was conducted for a large south‐eastern US department store chain which was interested in learning more about the purchasing behaviours of teenagers. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between jean purchase criteria, the type of store selected when purchasing a pair of jeans and teenagers’ purchasing behaviours. The sample consisted of teenagers aged 14 to 18 years old who were enrolled in a required economics class in four representative high schools. Results indicated that jean purchase criteria and type of store impact on both information‐seeking behaviours and price‐conscious purchasing behaviours among teenagers. For the information seeker, price, wash and brand were statistically significant and influenced the degree of information‐seeking behaviour. The cost‐conscious teenager was influenced by price, brand and quality. In addition, males and African Americans placed a greater importance on the store where purchases were made than did females and whites, respectively. Opportunities exist for all types of stores which are interested in attracting the teen market. Retailers need to understand where teenagers shop and the criteria that they use for selecting a store. Additional research needs to be conducted to investigate the cross‐shopping behaviours of teenagers and the store selection criteria they use.

With profound regret we have to record the death of Colonel Charles Edward Cassal, F.I.C., who passed away on Dec. 22nd at his residence in London. The sad news has only reached us at the moment—when we are going to press. We hope to publish in the January issue an appreciation of his life, his remarkable abilities, his high minded and lofty nature, and the beneficent work which he achieved in the interests of the profession which he so conspicuously adorned. Colonel Cassal was the founder of “The British Food Journal,” and, in addition to his multifarious official duties, he occupied for fifteen years the position of Editor of the Journal.

There is a puzzle at the heart of the history of the English criminal trial. Defendants accused of serious crimes were denied counsel, but not defendants accused of minor crimes. Why? Sir William Blackstone could find no explanation and denounced the rule as contrary to the “face of reason.” This article proffers an answer. The rule is traced to the thirteenth century and a strong view of the royal prerogative. Royal interests were at stake, and counsel would not be permitted against the king acting ex officio. The rule seems to have been distinctly English; it does not appear to have been transplanted from the Roman-canon law. The rule continued in England, bolstered by new justifications, long after its original rationale had been forgotten.